Days Like These

After a ridiculously cold January back in Japan, it seems like February, normally the coldest in Shiga, is getting warmer.

Lately I think I've been under a lot of stress. Yesterday I had 5 classes, scheduled for 6 but thankfully one was canceled, and most of them were the 7th graders who always zap the energy from my life stream.

However, there are moments that make everything seem worth it. Today I taught only my 3rd years (9th graders). I hate to choose favorites, but they ARE definitely my favorite grade. Their English ability is enough to actually have small conversations with them and their attitude is usually superb. Plus the English we are teaching them is at a bearable level and not some stupid ass useless sentence like, "Do you like pens? How many pens do you have?" It really makes me wish I was a high school teacher. Since last year, although I liked teaching them, it seems that when they start getting to about 15 years old they are just more fun and more serious about learning things. Not to mention conversations like this are priceless:

Student: "Have you ever been to Osaka?"
Me: "Yes!"
Student: "Oh! What were you doing? "Nanpa?" (Nanpa means "picking up girls.)

Or hearing two students in class with this conversation IN ENGLISH NONETHELESS:

Student A: "What do you want to be? A professional baseball player?"
Student B: "No I want to be a Daniel. He is the tallest of us all."
A: "Oh that is very cool!"

Dunno how I feel being one of multiple Daniels with the added "a" article, but I'll take it.

And also gifts such as this:



Kairo is the Japanese word for those heat pack hand warmers that are rarely used in the U.S. but always used in Japan due to the lack of central heating and insulation. This was handed to me by one of the 3rd year girls who wrote the message (spelled my name right and not Danieru).

My 3rd years I enjoy teaching. I try to be the best I can be in their classes because I know that I am given enough time in each class with an important enough role to actually make a difference in their English education. I am sad that they will be graduating in a month and the current English teacher for the 3rd years may be moving to another school. Now that I know I will be here for 18 more months, I only pray that the new first years and their main English teacher is awesome and the the current second years shape up a bit.

Again, the bittersweet of staying for another year.